Coldfoot is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

. The population was 34 at the 2020 census. It is said that the name was derived from travelers getting "cold feet" about making the 240-some-mile journey north to Deadhorse. Coldfoot primarily serves as a

truck stop A truck stop (known as a service station in the United Kingdom, a travel center by major chains in the United States and a roadhouse in rural Australia) is a commercial facility which provides refueling, rest (parking), and often ready-made f ...

on the

Dalton Highway The James W. Dalton Highway, usually referred to as the Dalton Highway (and signed as Alaska Route 11), is a road in Alaska. It begins at the Elliott Highway, north of Fairbanks, and ends at Deadhorse (an unincorporated community within t ...

from Fairbanks to

Prudhoe Bay Prudhoe Bay is a town located in North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 1,310 people, down from 2,174 residents in the 2010 census, and up from just 5 residents in 2000; however ...

. North of Coldfoot, there are no services for 240 miles (400 km), until Deadhorse. It has a restaurant and a small number of overnight accommodations (converted

pipeline A pipeline is a system of Pipe (fluid conveyance), pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countries ...

construction camp quarters). Bus tours along the highway typically take two days, with passengers spending the night in Coldfoot. The BLM,

USFWS The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is a U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats in the United States. Th ...

, and NPS jointly staff a small visitor center during the summer. The Coldfoot truck stop was founded by

Iditarod The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, more commonly known as The Iditarod (), is an annual long-distance sled dog race held in Alaska in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome. Mushers and a team of between 12 and 16 dogs, of which at leas ...

champion Dick Mackey, who started his operation by selling hamburgers out of a converted school bus. Truckers helped build the existing truck stop and cafe. The

Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (Alaska DOT&PF) is a department within the government of Alaska. Its headquarters are in Alaska's capital city, Juneau. The mission of Alaska DOT&PF is to "''Keep Alaska Moving through ...

(DOT&PF) has a camp (maintenance station) in Coldfoot. The town was originally a mining camp named Slate Creek, and around 1900 got its present name when prospectors going up the nearby Middle Fork Koyukuk River would get "cold feet" and turn around. In 1902, Coldfoot had two roadhouses, two stores, seven saloons, and a gambling house. A post office operated from 1902 to 1912, then reopened in 1984. Coldfoot Airport, on the west side of the Dalton Highway, consists of a gravel strip, used for air taxi and general aviation. Coldfoot has been featured on ''

Ice Road Truckers ''Ice Road Truckers'' (commercially abbreviated ''IRT'') is a reality television series that aired on History Channel from 2007 to 2017. It featured the activities of drivers who operated trucks on ice roads crossing frozen lakes and rivers, i ...

'', a Canadian

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

series airing on the

History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...

. The truck stop was first seen during the show's third season.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Coldfoot has a total area of , which is all land.

Climate

Coldfoot belongs to the typical

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

type (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfc''), characterized by long and extremely cold winters and short, mild summers. Year-round temperature extremes range from to . A low temperature of has been measured at this place before but not officially recognized, otherwise making Coldfoot the coldest place in the United States, not Prospect Creek.

Demographics

Coldfoot first appeared in the 2000 U.S. Census as a

2020

In the 2000 census, there were thirteen people, six households, and one family residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were twelve housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 100% White. There were six households: two had children under the age of eighteen living with them, two were married couples living together, and four were non-families. Three households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.17, and the average family size was 4. The age distribution was three under the age of 18, one from 18 to 24, five from 25 to 44, and four from 45 to 64. The median age was 40 years. There were four females and nine males, including three females and seven males aged eighteen and over. The median household income was $61,250, and the per capita income was $42,620. None of the population was living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

Education

The community was previously served by a school of the

Yukon–Koyukuk School District Yukon–Koyukuk School District (YKSD) is a school district headquartered in College, Alaska, College, a census-designated place in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska. It serves the Yukon–Koyukuk area. Schools * Allakaket School (Allakaket, ...

References

External links

*
Coldfoot Camp
{{authority control Census-designated places in Alaska Census-designated places in Unorganized Borough, Alaska Census-designated places in Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska Populated places of the Arctic United States